Artistic Director Michael Cotey
With new theatre companies budding up seemingly every week, Milwaukee is like a fertilized garden of artists after a good rain. One such company, ready to display the fresh fruit of their labors, is Youngblood Theatre Company. Founded by Artistic Director Michael Cotey, Benjamin James Wilson, and other UW – Milwaukee alumni, Youngblood is dedicated to giving young theatre artists a chance to gain credits in the professional realm. See previous post for Youngblood’s genesis.
For their first season Youngblood is taking no prisons and giving us 3, yes 3 plays in a matter of weeks. The first offering from this productive company is David’s Redhaired Death by playwright Sherry Kramer. Performing at the UWM Studio Theatre it opens this Friday, July 10th and runs through July 19th.
Death is followed by Savage in Limbo by Doubt writer John Patrick Shanley and God Bridge, a new play by UWM graduate Benjamin Wilson. Limbo opens on July 13th and runs through the 29th at the unique but apropos space of Landmark Lanes. God Bridge is presented at the Kenilworth Studio Theatre and runs from July 24th through August 2nd.
Asking Cotey about how these 3 particular plays were chosen, he had this to say: “Each play is one that a co-founder of Youngblood was especially passionate about. For Tess Cinpinski it was David’s Redhaired Death. For Andrew Voss is was Limbo. And for Ben Wilson it was his original play God Bridge. I knew that separately each individual was devoted to producing these plays at one point. My role in this was bringing them together in the same room and saying, ‘Let's do these shows.’ Having three plays that a core person was already interested in helped the process. They truly care about their projects and have involved people they think will help them succeed the best.”
Passion is one thing, and a good place for a theatre company to start, it’s the follow-through against the odds, dedication and discipline that will secure Youngblood as theatrical Milwaukee force. Cotey continues: “Thematically, there's no rhyme or reason why these particular plays were chosen. Unbeknownst to us however, a theme connecting the three plays has emerged. Each deals with longing, for someone or something greater, but being stuck in a particular condition. Which is interesting, considering how Youngblood was born. Each of us longed for something greater, and this company is the product of our action to achieve it.”
For the future, Cotey and Youngblood aspire to great heights: “We see a lot of promise in our company. That's why we are taking Youngblood seriously and not ignoring the fact we are also a business. By year-end, we should have obtained 501(c)3 nonprofit status and created an infrastructure for success and sustainability. In addition to high quality work, we will focus on education, service, and community partnerships. In terms of the immediate future, I'm positive we'll have a Youngblood offering in the fall. Our ultimate pipedream is to be not just a fully operating and sustainable theater company, but one of the top companies in Milwaukee. Youngblood fulfills a need in the community that alone makes me excited. But I'd also like to see us drawing up partnerships with other local theaters, like the newly formed Uprooted, and theaters from outside of Wisconsin. It's all pretty ambitious, but so is producing three plays with a new company at three different venues in an economic recession. If that's possible, then truly anything I mentioned is, as long as we are as driven as we are now.”
See just how driven Cotey and his Youngblood troupe are by seeing the shows. Subscriptions to all 3 Youngblood offerings are available for a single low price of $30.00 through the Peck School of the Arts Ticket Office, 2419 East Kenwood Boulevard. Single tickets are available for $12.00. Tickets can also be purchased by phone at (414) 229-4308.
For more information on Michael Cotey or Youngblood Theatre Company visit their website at www.youngbloodtheatre.com
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